1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ratcheting wrench having a drive member that securely receives a fastener-driving member therein for driving a fastener such as a screw, bolt, or nut.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ratcheting wrenches have been widely used for tightening/loosening fasteners such as screws, bolts, and nuts, and there are a wide variety of types of ratcheting wrenches. Taiwan Utility Model Publication No. 458012 entitled “Improved Socket Wrench” discloses a wrench including a handle and a head in the form of a box end on an end of the handle. A swivel member is rotatably held in the box end. Two pawls are slidably mounted in the box end and each includes a toothed side for releasably meshing with a toothed inner periphery of the box end. The swivel member includes a protrusion on a central portion of an upper side thereof, thereby forming two recessed portions for respectively receiving the pawls. A control button is attached on top of the swivel member and engaged with the pawls. Two elastic elements are provided in a manner that the pawls are moved between a first ratcheting position and a second ratcheting position respectively corresponding to two opposite ratcheting directions in response to pivotal movement of the control button between two positions. The swivel member includes a socket-engaging portion extending beyond the box end for releasably engaging with a socket. However, the pawls are mounted in the box end and thus render a bulky box end such that the wrench cannot be used in a limited space. Further, the swivel member can only be used with sockets; namely, the swivel member cannot be used with other tools such as screwdrivers. Further, the swivel member cannot be used to directly drive fasteners.
FIG. 15 of the drawings illustrates a conventional ratcheting wrench of the type including a handle 7 and a head 2 in the form of a box end. A gear wheel 3 is rotatably held in the head 2 and includes an inner periphery 4 configured to releasably hold a shank of a screwdriver that has a bit 5 for driving a fastener 6. However, when tightening the fastener 6, the user has to repeatedly move the handle 7 back and forth many times, which is time-consuming and laborious. Further, the screwdriver shank is apt to displace relative to the gear wheel 3 and thus may be disengaged from the inner periphery 4 of the head 2, as there is no member for retaining the screwdriver shank in place.
Taiwan Utility Model Publication No. 526807 discloses a ratcheting wrench including a handle and a head in the form of a box end on an end of the handle. A gear wheel is rotatably mounted in the box end and includes a plurality of teeth defined in an outer periphery thereof. A C-clip is partially received in an annular groove in the outer periphery of the gear wheel and partially received in an annular groove defined in an inner periphery of the box end. The gear wheel includes an inner periphery for releasably holding a nut. An end of the gear wheel is exposed outside the box end, and a ring is fixed or integrally formed on the end of the gear wheel, allowing quick tightening/loosening of the nut. However, manufacture and assembly of this ratcheting wrench are troublesome. More specifically, formation of the annular groove in the inner periphery of the box end and mounting of the C-clip into the annular groove of the box end and the annular groove of the gear wheel are not easy and thus increase the manufacturing cost. Further, Taiwan Utility Model Publication No. 526807 fails to disclose use of the ratcheting wrench with a screwdriver and thus provides limited functions.